Hands down the biggest surprise of Round 1 was Macarthur demolishing Perth Glory 6-1. It was 5-0 at halftime and a sign that maybe their Australia Cup win was not in fact a fluke. That run included a dramatic 4-3 win over Newcastle in late August where the Bulls came back from 2-0 down on the day. Newcastle were far from disgraced first up in their loss to Melbourne City, but if Macarthur plays anywhere close to their Round 1 level, this will be a very one-sided affair.
BEST: Macarthur to Win $1.85 | VALUE: Macarthur to Win -2 Goals $5.50
A week later than everyone else, Adelaide will get their 2024/25 A-League season underway with a home date against the Central Coast Mariners. The Reds will not be able to use fatigue as an excuse following their Round 1 bye and the fresh legs will give them an advantage over the reigning champions who will be returning from a midweek Champions League clash with Shanghai Port. Last season Adelaide won 3-0 in the season opener at home before the Mariners returned the favour 4-0 at Coopers before winning 2-0 in the final game to clinch the Premiership. However this is a whole new season and the Mariners did not look all that sharp in front of goal last Friday. Meanwhile Adelaide will be fielding a whole new attack and based on the returns from the rest of the league (Macarthur excluded), they might need a bit of time to gel, so the under looks like the way to go here.
BEST: Under 2.5 Goals $2.40 | VALUE: Draw & Under 2.5 Goals $5.00
There will be no shortage of fireworks in Melbourne on Saturday night as City and Victory face off once again. Victory boss Patrick Kisnorbo will take on his former side for the first time and will no doubt want to get the better of the team he left in 2022. City ground out a 1-1 win over Newcastle last week but will be looking for major improvement against the side they just could not defeat last season. There were a pair of 0-0 draws before Victory won the third meeting 2-1 and the Elimination Final on penalties. Just like the above fixture, the under looks to be the way to go with both sides happy to rely on their backline to lead the way.
BEST: Under 2.5 Goals $2.05 | VALUE: 0-0 Draw $10.00
The other derby this weekend is not of the local variety, but the distance kind as Perth and Wellington renew their rivalry out west. The Glory will be happy to return home and put a Round 1 horror show behind them. However HBF Park has not exactly been a happy hunting ground for them with three draws and three defeats to close out their home slate last season. The Nix were a bit underwhelming last week getting held to a draw by Western United but they have not lost in Perth since February 2020.
BEST: Wellington to Win $2.35 | VALUE: Wellington to Win and Over 3.5 Goals $5.00
Auckland’s A-League debut could not have gone any better, controlling the game and comfortably beating Brisbane 2-0. However their second match is going to be a much tougher task with title contenders Sydney FC coming to town. The Sky Blues might not be playing with a full tank of petrol however with last Saturday’s derby win followed by a midweek trip to Japan for continental action. The 16,000+km of travel will no doubt play a role in the outcome of this game and with Auckland having a full week of preparation, the home side could be a decent value play in this market.
BEST: Auckland FC to Win $2.95 | VALUE: Auckland to Win and Both Teams to Score $4.40
Round 2 wraps up at Ironbark Fields with the battle of the west… on the east coast. We’ve got two teams that look like they might be good this season but will be entering this weekend a little bit disappointed with how Round 1 went. Western United picking up a point from Wellington was a decent result in theory but they will feel like they could have had more. As for the Wanderers, a home derby loss to Sydney FC will never go down well and it might produce a response out of a group with very lofty ambitions this season. Western United still seem like they are going to be sorting a few things out defensively and that could open up a window for the visitors to pinch a win and get themselves off the mark this season.
BEST: Western Sydney to Win $2.35 | VALUE: Draw/Western Sydney HT/FT Double $5.75